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Ask The Cat Lady!
Sally Bahner is a member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and has a private feline consulting practice. She is the "Dear Sally" on Tracie Hotchner’s Cat Chat Radio (www.catchatradio.com), found on Sirius, the Martha Stewart Living channel. She is a longtime editor and writer on everything feline.
Q: Dear Sally,
I have a beautiful resident cat who has some issues because she was abandoned and rejected by her mom and the rest of the litter. We rescued her from the mill that my husband works at. She loves us to death and we love her too.
Recently we got two new kittens from the pound and we just knew resident cat would have a lot of trouble adjusting. Unfortunately we didn't read any information before we brought them home and they all met together. There was hissing from resident cat but no lunging or attacking. We quickly realized things were not going to work this way.
So we got on web and read all this stuff about introducing cats. Currently we are at the sock stage and all cats are getting used to smelling socks with little reaction but interested sniffing. So I tried to let them see each other, but there was too much hissing from resident cat. The kittens seem unafraid though. So I made it so they can’t see each other directly, just shadows. I will do a room exchange soon.
I’m just wondering, do you think the initial botched introduction will ruin our chances of success? Should I just let them see each other and hiss a bit and hope it dies down? Any suggestions would be great.
Angela
A: Dear Angela,
It sounds as if you’re on the right track. You just need to give it a little more time. The hissing at first is to be expected and it's good that there is no aggression. It's also good that you adopted two kittens since they can be friends for each other and give the resident cat enough space. You might want to try some flower essences (www.spiritessence.com, New Beginnings, maybe Self-Esteem for the resident kitty.
If the hissing reaction is too strong, just step back and wait another day or so before trying again. The kitties will be around for a long time so it's worth the time it takes to introduce them properly.
Although the kittens are cute and endearing, make sure you give the resident kitty plenty of love and affection as well, especially since she seems a bit insecure to start with.
Sally
Guinea Pig Expert!
Whitney Potsus has owned guinea pigs for nearly a decade. She is Vice President of The Critter Connection, Inc., a Durham-based non-profit dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of abandoned and neglected guinea pigs. You can find the rescue on the Web at www.ctguineapigrescue.org. Please direct all your Guinea Pig questions to Whitney.
Q: Dear Whitney,
I have a Guinea Pig that I've had for about two months. He has lately gotten into the habit of running in circles around the bottom of his cage, and sometimes I feel like he might give himself a heart attack because he gets so worked up. Is this normal pig behavior? Am I doing something wrong or not giving enough attention/food/water/etc.?
Thanks, Katie
A: Dear Katie,
It's not uncommon for Guinea Pigs to engage in these running fits in their cages to burn off some energy. The younger ones will do it more often than older pigs, but a six-year-old pig is as likely to have these bursts of energy as a six-week-old pig.
If he's doing it frequently, it's likely that he could use more exercise/play time on a regular basis. Out-of-cage playtime in a safe, enclosed play area does Guinea Pigs a world of good and needs to be a part of their daily routine. These excursions to a play space that gives them more room to run, and a change of scenery and toys, offers both physical and psychological benefits for your Guinea Pig's well being.
I have a list of products and suggestions for creating a safe play area at www.squidoo.com/guineapigconnection, which can help you devise something fun for him and practical for your living space. In the play area I have set up for my pigs, they have an entirely different set of toys, tunnels, and hidey houses than they have in their cage; every couple of weeks, I exchange one item for something else from the "toy box" to keep things fresh.
You also might want to reconsider the size of his cage, to give him more living (and running) space. The cubes and coroplast (C&C) cages let you build different sizes of cages, in one- and two-level configurations. You can find more information on these cages at www.guineapigcages.com. You can purchase the cages from Sue, and also can purchase them from The Critter Connection rescue in Durham.
From what you've described, you're not doing anything wrong. You just have a happy, active pig.
Hope this helps, Whitney
Reptile Man!
Ron Wulff, the Reptile Man, has worked for one of the big retail pet stores for 6 years as a reptile and aquatic specialist. He rescues reptiles and runs www.nopaws.com, dedicating his time to educate people on exotic pets. Direct your exotic pet questions to Reptile Man.
Q: Dear Reptile Man
Do I need to use calcium sand for my Bearded Dragon?
Jim
A: Dear Jim,
While most lizards will benefit from additional calcium in their diet, ingesting the substrate isn't the best way to deliver it. The calcium based sands where developed to provide a substrate that would be safe if ingested.
The idea was that if you made the sand out of calcium, and the lizard got a mouth full when he went to grab a cricket, it would be good for him. Some of the resulting products are so dry, that water will bead up on it. The finer of the sands are so dry, that a mouth full of it would be like a mouth full of flour. If the lizard walks in the water bowl, and then walks in the sand, it will coat the animals feet and can turn into a crust that can cut off the circulation. I have seen quite a few leopard geckos with feet the color of the sand. Some of these products are also marketed for Hermit crabs, which do not accidentally ingest the substrate in the first place and are a poor choice for these animals.
Mixing regular non-calcium desert sand with the soil like substrate that is used in tropical tanks, and applying a firm, thin layer on the bottom of the tank will provide a substrate that can be misted every day.
Additional calcium can be provided by dusting the crickets with a vitamin supplement or feeding the crickets a calcium enriched food. Older dragons can be fed vegetables like collard and mustard greens, and small mice, which also provide calcium.
On a different note, Bearded Dragons and many desert lizards do not always recognize a bowl of water as a water source. I had one Dragon that would only drink out of a bowl, while I was filling it up with a squirt bottle and it was splashing. The minute I would stop squirting, it would look right at me, like "I wasn't done yet".
Ron
The Bunny Expert!
Susan adopted her first house rabbit 5 years ago and soon after got highly involved in rabbit rescue. She has volunteered at a local rabbit rescue group and a local animal shelter working with rabbits. She has since co-founded 3 Bunnies Rabbit Rescue Inc. Susan can surely answer all of your rabbit questions!
Q: Dear Bunny expert,
My new rabbit has what I guess I would call a poopy butt. Is that normal? Should I take him to a vet? What should I do?
Karen and Mouse
A: Dear Karen,
Many things can cause a poopy butt in rabbits. Many times it is due to diet. Some rabbits get this from certain vegetables. Some can get it from certain food pellets. Fruits can cause this. Also it can be a medical problem. Most of the time this can be cleared up. The best thing to do is take your rabbit to your rabbit vet and have him get a check up. Also go over his diet with your vet. This should help you figure out what may be causing it and hopefully clear it up.
Susan
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